1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a closure latch assembly for a vehicle door, and more particularly to a closure latch equipped with a passive entry feature.
2. Related Art
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
Passive entry features are provided on some vehicles to permit a vehicle user who is in possession of the vehicle key to simply pull the door handle and open the door without the need to introduce the key into a keyhole in the door. The key is associated with a key fob equipped with an electronic device that communicates with the vehicle's on-board control system to authenticate the user. The user, or an impatient passenger traveling with the user, typically wants the door to unlock instantaneously, so that he or she does not have to wait before being permitted to open the door.
Some door latches include features, such as, for example, a “fast unlock” or “impatient passenger” feature, which permit the latch to unlock, even when the impatient passenger lifts the door handle prior to actuation of a motor driving the latch. Example door latch systems which provide for quick entry to a vehicle are described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/161,193; U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0207400; U.S. Pat. No. 8,522,583; and International Patent Application Publication No. WO 2009/046539, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. However, known solutions to improving unlock speed generally require multiple motors, or large motors capable of providing high torque, which leads to high cost and complexity.